Disposable utensil, for example, plastic spoons, forks, knives and “sporks,” (e.g., a combination of a spoon and a fork), are frequently used in informal restaurant settings and are provided for use with “take out” restaurant food. To ensure that this utensil is provided in a hygienic form, it is often purchased by a restaurant or other facility pre-sealed in a pouch. A napkin and condiments i.e., salt and pepper, and for example, may be included in the pouch. Such pouches are generally more expensive than the individual utensils due to the processing and materials necessary to form the pouches. Also, these pouches may provide more utensil or condiments than the user needs and, as such, may be wasteful.
A variety of dispensers have been proposed as an alternative to loose or pouch-packaged utensil. Previously known dispensers, however, suffer at least the perception of sanitary and hygienic concerns by many users. For example, when utensil is dispensed into a collection tray, the tray of the dispenser may become soiled as users repeatedly touch the tray while collecting dispensed utensil. Also, the handles, knobs or other actuators of manually operated dispensers are touched by multiple users, and must be regularly cleaned in order to maintain safe hygiene levels. Additionally, another point of contamination may occur when a person who is loading the dispenser accidentally or purposely touches the utensil during the reloading process. Previously known dispensers also often lack the degree of convenience and economy in operation that would be desirable.
Accordingly, a continual need exists for improved utensil dispensers that are particularly useful in dispensing disposable utensil in a hygienic, convenient, economical and non-wasteful manner.